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ERP Logistics

Case Nurminen Logistics

Digia's forwarding and warehousing systems support Nurminen Logistics as it aims for profitable growth

Nurminen Logistics aims to streamline its business and speed up logistics processes through digitalisation. The company unified its complex system architecture by deploying Digia ProSped forwarding and Digia ProStock warehousing systems delivered. This has had major effects.

 

If the most traditional Finnish logistics operators were listed, Nurminen Logistics would be high on that list. The company was founded in 1886, after which it has undergone several business transformations. Digitalisation is only the latest of these.

Today, the company is a modern third-party logistics service (3PL) company aiming for profitable growth, which employs more than 200 people and operates in five different countries. A special source of pride for the company is the weekly container train running between Finland and China.

Digia has supported Nurminen Logistics’ digital transformation by supplying the company with the forwarding and warehousing solutions ProSped and ProStock.

Petri Luurila is an experienced IT professional with a strong vision of developing business through digitalisation. Luurila started as the CIO of Nurminen Logistics in autumn 2019, when cooperation with Digia had already been ongoing for some time.

“Cooperation with Digia began with the renewal and harmonisation of forwarding systems, after which the same was done for storage systems. I became involved when the production use of storage systems had already started to some extent,” Luurila says.

What we did

What we used

  • Digia ProSped
  • Digia ProStock
Digia's technical expertise and business understanding have been excellent. We’ve not had to explain things to them with words of one syllable. Instead, we’ve understood each other excellently. Cooperation with Digia has had a major effect in how we have been able to streamline and modernise our business.

Petri Luurila, CIO, Nurminen Logistics

Digitalisation plays a key role in the change

Documentation and data transmission are important in the logistics sector. This is why the benefits of digitalisation can be particularly substantial for the sector. However, development in the sector has progressed relatively slowly, due to, among other things, deep-rooted practices and the legacy systems that are in use.

Nurminen Logistics, however, understood the need for change. The company is actively developing its business and intends to be at the forefront of digitalisation in the logistics sector.

Digia was selected as the system supplier based on its convincing track record. Long experience and a broad understanding of the industry's needs were important criteria when choosing a partner.

“Over the years, system architecture had become rather colourful. Overlapping solutions were used, in addition to which some technologies had become technically obsolete. My predecessors understood that it is necessary to simplify architecture, digitalise processes and develop integration solutions,” Luurila says.

Systematic system replacement – forwarding solutions deployed first

The first step was to harmonise forwarding systems. Digia ProSped impressed the then decision-makers at Nurminen Logistics with its usability, integration capacity and built-in connections to systems such as those used by the Customs. The solution was taken into use in early 2018.

“We’ve now used the forwarding system for a few years, and even though I wasn't working here at the time, it's clear that the effects have been positive. The mere harmonisation of solutions and improved integration capacity have been hugely important in the efficiency of operations in the short and long term,” Luurila says.

 

Mobility solutions meeting the needs of a 3PL operator developed in cooperation for the Digia ProStock warehousing system

The harmonisation of warehousing systems was the next step. The various units of Nurminen Logistics used several separate, self-built solutions, with the intention being that they are also harmonised and modernised. Preparations for the project began as soon as the previous project was completed.

Digia ProStock has been in production use in the Port of Vuosaari since spring 2019, but it was further development even after this. The project had previously been slowed down by personnel changes at Nurminen Logistics, but after Petri Luurila became involved, the development cooperation adopted an agile and efficient sprint model.

“The success of system projects depends on the business management’s commitment to the project. Several of our key persons changed during the project, which naturally affected its progress. I joined the company to lead digitalisation projects and my first task was to carry out an internal reorganisation concerning this project. Digia supported us extremely well in this and flexibly arranged its own operations to meet our needs,” Luurila says.

The mobility functions needed by a 3PL operator did not exist as a ready-made solution but were developed through the cooperation of Digia and Nurminen Logistics. The resulting solution has been a major improvement compared to the previous one.

“Mobile solutions were already in use before, but they worked on a wireless network and separate manoeuvres were needed to transfer data from hand terminals to the system. Digia OTE operates on a mobile network, and all data is automatically logged into the backend system as well, so there have been significant improvements in reliability and efficiency,” Luurila says.

Digia convinced with its expertise

Overall, Nurminen Logistics’ organisation is happy with the cooperation with Digia. Digia’s industry knowledge has ensured that solutions work and cooperation is smooth. As part of a larger digitalisation project, the systems delivered by Digia have helped Nurminen Logistics to streamline its everyday operations and create profitable business growth.

“I haven't been involved with Digia from the beginning, but I can say that I’m satisfied with what I’ve seen. Their technical expertise and business understanding have been excellent. We’ve not had to explain things to them with words of one syllable. Instead, we’ve understood each other excellently. The integration capacity of the delivered solutions has also been excellent, which is particularly important in this kind of systems. Cooperation with Digia has had a major effect in how we have been able to streamline and modernise our business,” Luurila concludes.